Hi All,
We are currently on the lookout to replace all our projectors on the squadron. Altogether we will need 4 that can be ceiling mounted.
We are needing to play the occasional video and use for PP. So nothing out of the ordinary.
Does anyone have a recommendation for what to buy? The Civ comm are happy to spend some money for decent quality that will last, but they do not obviously want to be spending thousands on the top 4k cinema type models (despite my protestation 
)
What kind of throw are we talking about here?
Will they be using existing mountings?
Couple of meters?
Completely new mountings, we currently dont have them ceiling mounted and its a PITA.
Remember that RFCA class mounting projectors to the ceiling as structural work and you need them to do itâŚ20 years later
SELF HELP ALERT, SELF HELP ALERT⌠ALERT ALL WEXOs, MAN ALL ADMIN STATIONS AND SET CONDITION âNAGGâ
in all seriousness, PC world is where we got ours, ÂŁ20 per mount and ÂŁ130 per Samsung projector.
All works well.
Do you have a link for what you purchased?
Iâve done far worse than fitting projectors on the ceiling and still havenât been found out. I normally do 1 thing a year so they dont notice by the next inspection.
Sorry, it was about 4 years ago now. But theyâre still going strong.
Currys PC world, Google them, they have most things.
Else argos actually isnt too bad.
Our projectors are Samsung but I have used canon before and they are good also. Pricey but good.
The best one from RFCA was
âYou are not permitted to paint your Sqn wallsâŚhowever you can clean then with coloured waterâŚâ
Itâs all well and good mounting them if you can get to both sides of the ârafterâ.
Iâd sooner not do it myself after seeing the mess Iâve seen some hut ceilings are in and theyâve been RFCA contractor retro fits.
We went for the Epson projectors, they have inbuilt speakers which seem to work well in our classrooms and the main hall. Just plug on one HDMI lead and off you go. I got two âreturned/refurbishedâ for ÂŁ470 recently
I recently noticed one of the squadrons round here had their projector bolted to the ceiling tile!
We installed 3 new projectors a couple of years ago after a lottery grant which bought the projectors, screens and mounts from ivojo.co.uk
The projectors we went for were Sony VPL-EX343 which are quite large but had a good mix of brightness, throw (around 4m) and connectivity. We went for Unicol GK1-GAP wall-mount brackets and GAPU gyrolock plates to make the fitting easier.
RFCA provided a 3-pin socket and some trunking up to it and granted permission to use a local contractor, who looks a lot like me, to fit the projectors/screens and wire up the connectivity. I fed HDMI, VGA, Ethernet and Audio back to a wall plate on our DADO trunking in the 3 rooms and they have been working fine ever since. Audio comes through the speaker in the projector, which is perfectly acceptable for what we need - we werenât building a home cinema.
We did originally plan a 4th projector to be fitted in the main hall but for that to work well in our environment would have cost the entire budget, so we bought a big flat-screen TV from Costco and fitted it to a Unicol VS1000E stand. Best decision ever!
Thatâs fine because the obviously ATC has an excess of volunteer staff. Thatâs the only reason I can think for the local wing refusing to give me CFAV recruitment flyers for the work stand on reserves day. Got CCF, ACF and SCC on board but ATC wonât give them to a CCF officer, even when heâs offering to promote all cadet forces not just the CCF
I want to meet this person, shake there hand and buy them a pint.
See the problem i have is that i dont care. They can scream and shout and even kick me out and i wouldnât be that bothered. There is nothing they can do that affects my life for the worse.
I enjoy my time in cadets, but if they decide that they want to make a huge issue then there is plenty other organisations that will welcome me with open arms. I have an excellent working relationship with the ACF/SCC & Scouts in my area. Hell i may even spend more time with my wife (shudder )
Topic.
We went for a large LCD monitor/screen on wheeled stand. No need to ceiling mount and can be pushed flat to the wall. Audio is better than on a projector too.
Thatâs what we have in our classrooms, along with a projector in the hall.
Like I said, keep on topic.
Have TVs in several classrooms, but looking to replace our rather old existing projector, so following the thread with interest.
OK ⌠so ⌠consider the environment. Yes you need suitable fixing, but for performance you should know the projecting distance (or throw as has been mentioned), any modifying factors and how light you want the the projector to operate satisfactorily within. This last point simply means that if yo are planning to project in a room with curtains open at 8pm in the summer, then you are going to need something as powerful as 3,000 lumens.
If you are thinking of those winter evenings then half that m,ay suffice. Prices have fallen radically in the last 5 or 7 years so I would suggest avoiding too cheap, but equally 4K can be a pipe dream (very little is avaible/broadcast in 4K) and high quality XGA is perfectly OK for a presentation. with the odd film clip.
I reckon a budget of ÂŁ300 to ÂŁ500 (plus fixings) should suit fine.